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Extra! Extra! The Orphan Trains and Newsboys of New York
Extra Extra The Orphan Trains and Newsboys of New York Author:Renee Wendinger Thousands of immigrants crammed into tenement housing, clamoring for employment. Dreams of America dashed by the harsh reality of the streets. As a result, families were forced to give up their children handing off newborns to orphanages and releasing mere youths to fend for themselves as newsboys or bootblacks. — Times were challenging, bu... more »t the truly visionary found ways to make a difference in children’s lives.
And so ran the orphan trains from New York to points west over the course of decades carrying more than 200,000 children to their new lives in rural America.
Wendinger assembles stories of children who faced nearly insurmountable odds. From agonizing letters written by desperate mothers to news stories of the latest train or of newsboys looking out for each other, the humanity of individuals caught up in the sweep of history is unmistakable.« less